Did you feel it?

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EE_Gopher

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I was late to the game because I ran the 10 miler at the Monster Dash in St. Paul. I heard Nebraska's 1st touchdown in the car. When I got to the stadium, I heard loud cheering and it was the Nebraska fans.

Leidner took us down the field on a 75 yard drive for a touchdown that was similar to the one in Michigan. Okay, that was nice. Then it happened...

With 4 and (10) and the 34, Philip Nelson threw a strike to Derrick Engel to put us up 14-10.

WOOSH!!!!!

There was this feeling that went across all of the Gopher fans at this game. I don't know if you could feel it at home. But this unbelievable feeling that this could happen. The Gophers could play with Nebraska. It caught the fans by surprise and it obviously caught the Nebraska players by surprise.

For the rest of the game, although you could see all the Nebraska fans, you no longer heard them...
 

I thought it was much longer than 4th and 2.....wasn't it 4th and 10? Somebody help me
 


EE_Gopher said:
I was late to the game because I ran the 10 miler at the Monster Dash in St. Paul. I heard Nebraska's 1st touchdown in the car. When I got to the stadium, I heard loud cheering and it was the Nebraska fans.

Leidner took us down the field on a 75 yard drive for a touchdown that was similar to the one in Michigan. Okay, that was nice. Then it happened...

With 4 and 2 and the 34, Philip Nelson threw a strike to Derrick Engel to put us up 14-10.

WOOSH!!!!!

There was this feeling that went across all of the Gopher fans at this game. I don't know if you could feel it at home. But this unbelievable feeling that this could happen. The Gophers could play with Nebraska. It caught the fans by surprise and it obviously caught the Nebraska players by surprise.

For the rest of the game, although you could see all the Nebraska fans, you no longer heard them...
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Minnesota fans are a discerning bunch. We've had the rug pulled out from underneith us so many times (Mason and Brewster) that we keep our enthusiasm in check until we're comfortable enough to hop aboard the spirit train. That play opened everyone's eyes to the fact that we were there to play and it was going to be a hard fought game - but it was still in check. With each play it built up, and with each successive defense holding their offense in check, it started to get crazy. I think when it let loose was when we were up 27-23 and Nelson hit Maxx Williams for a first down that it really let loose. There was dancing, jumping and celebrating in the student section unabated at that point. High Fives for everyone in my section. The place lit up. Don't get me wrong, it was loud; but the lid came off midway in the 4th quarter.
 

Chalkboards filled with Xs & Os. Heights, weights and 40 times. Stat sheets, conference standings, national rankings, Sagarin rankings, and history make sports fun to talk about. But, momentum is an intangible that really can't be seen or measured. It can only be felt.

Kill and his staff have stressed the importance of fan support at every stop along the way. It's been abysmal at the start, but it always comes around. Those around it day-to-day feel it and it grows -- becomes a part of everything. Then you can feel it spilling over to the fans. It gains momentum. The coaches care about the players and each other. The players care about the coaches and each other. When the fans start caring and believing it certainly can be felt by the players. There's something about being in a football stadium and the emotional reactions of thousands of humans that really does spill over and have some bearing on what happens on the field.

On paper, these coaches don't have pedigrees. Most of the players on this team don't either. I could argue that Minnesota football fans younger than 60 don't either. I love the post EE_gopher. It really does feel like it's happening.
 


killme said:
Chalkboards filled with Xs & Os. Heights, weights and 40 times. Stat sheets, conference standings, national rankings, Sagarin rankings, and history make sports fun to talk about. But, momentum is an intangible that really can't be seen or measured. It can only be felt.

Kill and his staff have stressed the importance of fan support at every stop along the way. It's been abysmal at the start, but it always comes around. Those around it day-to-day feel it and it grows -- becomes a part of everything. Then you can feel it spilling over to the fans. It gains momentum. The coaches care about the players and each other. The players care about the coaches and each other. When the fans start caring and believing it certainly can be felt by the players. There's something about being in a football stadium and the emotional reactions of thousands of humans that really does spill over and have some bearing on what happens on the field.

On paper, these coaches don't have pedigrees. Most of the players on this team don't either. I could argue that Minnesota football fans younger than 60 don't either. I love the post EE_gopher. It really does feel like it's happening.
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With how balances our division is in the B1G, I think these next two games become crucial for us. We have two very winnable (and very loseable) games coming up. If we pull off those wins, we are 4-2, and we still have a game against MSU for a chance to knock them off. If the chips fall the right way, we might still be alive in the division race (I could see a 2 loss team representing our division in the title game). Can you imagine what the fans would be like if we were playing Wisconsin, with only 2 games left on the season, and the game having B1G title implications for us? That would be the latest we would have even been mathematically alive in quite a while. Playing relevant games is far and away the best way to have a fanbase energized in the cold late season games, and while I am not assuming it will happen, it is very doable if we keep playing like we have the last two weeks.
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
With how balances our division is in the B1G, I think these next two games become crucial for us. We have two very winnable (and very loseable) games coming up. If we pull off those wins, we are 4-2, and we still have a game against MSU for a chance to knock them off. If the chips fall the right way, we might still be alive in the division race (I could see a 2 loss team representing our division in the title game). Can you imagine what the fans would be like if we were playing Wisconsin, with only 2 games left on the season, and the game having B1G title implications for us? That would be the latest we would have even been mathematically alive in quite a while. Playing relevant games is far and away the best way to have a fanbase energized in the cold late season games, and while I am not assuming it will happen, it is very doable if we keep playing like we have the last two weeks.
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The Gophers have once again arose to the level of being competitive. On the other hand, at that level, a win or a loss is a play or two either way. I could see them finish out anywhere from 0-4 to 3-1. (I don't see a win at Michigan State. Of course, I was picking Nebraska 38-13 yesterday!)
 

Each of the next four games presents a unique challenge. If the Gophers stay healthy, I think they'll have a reasonable chance to win all four.

Indiana is the least formiddable, but the Hoosier offense is explosive and I don't know if the Gophers are ready for a track meet. Not sure what to make of PSU, yet. Wisconsin will be a huge test.

Regardless of the outcome of the next three, I predict the Gophs win at Sparty. MSU is an undiciplined band of misfits. They have offsides, personal fouls, and illegal procedure calls in virtually every game for decades. Their quarterback tandem is the worst in B1G. Their running game is stoppable. They have a stout defense and I think if they win this week, will be 10-1 for the Gophers, providing a great opportunity for a REAL statement victory.
 




I wasn't confident we'd win until Maxx caught the pass that set up the last TD.

As for our remainnig games we have a chance to win every single one of them if we stay healthy, keep playing smart football and have a little luck. Our offense and defense have really improved since the bye.
 

EE_Gopher said:
With 4 and (10) and the 34, Philip Nelson threw a strike to Derrick Engel to put us up 14-10.

WOOSH!!!!!

There was this feeling that went across all of the Gopher fans at this game.
Click to expand...

The feeling/woosh I felt was cold! I knew hell was freezing over!!!!!!!!!!
 

Rescooter said:
Minnesota fans are a discerning bunch. We've had the rug pulled out from underneith us so many times (Mason and Brewster) that we keep our enthusiasm in check until we're comfortable enough to hop aboard the spirit train. That play opened everyone's eyes to the fact that we were there to play and it was going to be a hard fought game - but it was still in check. With each play it built up, and with each successive defense holding their offense in check, it started to get crazy. I think when it let loose was when we were up 27-23 and Nelson hit Maxx Williams for a first down that it really let loose. There was dancing, jumping and celebrating in the student section unabated at that point. High Fives for everyone in my section. The place lit up. Don't get me wrong, it was loud; but the lid came off midway in the 4th quarter.
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Completely agree with you. And any anxiety at that point was less about 'what could go wrong now' and more about 'holy crap, I want to start celebrating NOW so HURRY UP!!!"
 

I was watching at home, but i would most definitely agree that the TD pass there changed my entire outlook on the game. As much as i wanted to win, going in, i probably would have been 'ok' with losing under double digits. Once that play happened, however, i really began to think we might at least have a chance. I'll even admit that i had a brief moment of anxiety there in the 4th quarter, but nothing close to the dread i am used to. Now i'm nervous about overconfidence, but even that doesn't seem as daunting under this coaching regime.
 




I am as optimistic as the next guy, but I bet the road ahead will be bumpy. Sometime in the next few weeks, I suspect we will lay a massive, rotten egg. When that happens:

-Jerry Kill will still be an outstanding coach
-Tracy Claeys will still have done a great job as defensive coordinator and acting head coach
-Matt Limegrover will still be DAMNED good! (reference to previous long thread)
-The future of Gopher football will still be bright

And most importantly, even the most curmudgeonly of Gopherholers will ultimately get over it!

We will have our ups and downs, but dammit it feels good to be on an up...
 

When I felt it was when, leading 27-23, the Gophs stopped Nebraska 3 and out and forced the shanked punt. I have gotten so accustomed to comebacks and futility that I literally couldn't believe what was happening. The Huskers went down with a whimper. That never happens with us. I honestly wondered whether someone has mis-counted the downs or something. Even before the shank, I knew we had won the game.
 

Bad Gopher said:
When I felt it was when, leading 27-23, the Gophs stopped Nebraska 3 and out and forced the shanked punt. I have gotten so accustomed to comebacks and futility that I literally couldn't believe what was happening. The Huskers went down with a whimper. That never happens with us. I honestly wondered whether someone has mis-counted the downs or something. Even before the shank, I knew we had won the game.
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They way that Claeys had the defense pin it's ears back and pressure Nebraska on those three plays showed me that he (and Kill and Limegrover, et. al) want to WIN...not try not to lose. That's a confidence builder in itself.

And the shank was great. The guys on TV tried to blame the ball. Hilarious.
 

Bad Gopher said:
When I felt it was when, leading 27-23, the Gophs stopped Nebraska 3 and out and forced the shanked punt.
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This regime isn't afraid to take a risk to win. On the last Nebraska series they blitzed on both 2nd and 3rd down. On 2nd down Vereen should have gotten a sack. On third down they did. They didn't just sit back in zone coverage and hope the other team messed up. They called plays designed to make a play to win the game. The rollout pass to Maxx on the final drive is another example. You think there's any way Mason calls that play?
 

highwayman said:
They way that Claeys had the defense pin it's ears back and pressure Nebraska on those three plays showed me that he (and Kill and Limegrover, et. al) want to WIN...not try not to lose. That's a confidence builder in itself.

And the shank was great. The guys on TV tried to blame the ball. Hilarious.
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Wait. What?
 

josh087 said:
This regime isn't afraid to take a risk to win. On the last Nebraska series they blitzed on both 2nd and 3rd down. On 2nd down Vereen should have gotten a sack. On third down they did. They didn't just sit back in zone coverage and hope the other team messed up. They called plays designed to make a play to win the game. The rollout pass to Maxx on the final drive is another example. You think there's any way Mason calls that play?
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What you say here is true generally, we saw it this week, at the bowl game, on several other occasions under Coach Kill. And I love it, I really do.

My question is: Where the heck was that attitude for this year's Iowa game?? Our conservative approach to that game cost us what would have been a very meaningful victory. Truly a missed opportunity.
 

MrGopher said:
What you say here is true generally, we saw it this week, at the bowl game, on several other occasions under Coach Kill. And I love it, I really do.

My question is: Where the heck was that attitude for this year's Iowa game?? Our conservative approach to that game cost us what would have been a very meaningful victory. Truly a missed opportunity.
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The Iowa game is long gone, far behind us, put it to rest. Nothing will change it, let's look ahead.
 



Didn't know where to put this, but if you watch this video, you can see just how far this team has come since 2011.

 


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